Two in-school conservation education projects were funded by the Ray Smith Endowment in 1998. The first program provided classroom presentations from Roaring Brook Nature Center. These programs focused on polar regions, islands, rainforests, oceans, or deserts. Each program included assembly presentations and discussions on endangered species in each region. They were then followed up by classroom preparation of exhibits (by fourth-graders) which were on display at the Nature Center.

The second in-school program focused on a local endangered species: the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene Carolina).

The object of the project was three fold:

First, to interest sixth-grade students in the box turtles and to promote a concern for their protection

Second, to develop baseline data on current Box Turtle populations in order to monitor future trends

Third, to provide students with an opportunity to engage in scientific field work within their own community.

This is an ongoing project to collect and record data. In the future this pilot program could be available to other towns.